The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was also a milestone for the American Civil Rights Movement -- creating thousands of black and minority politicians. Correspondent Chris Simkins introduces us to some some elected officials who -- without the Voting Rights Act -- would never have had the opportunity to serve their communities.

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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was also a milestone for the American Civil Rights Movement -- creating thousands of black and minority politicians. Correspondent Chris Simkins introduces us to some some elected officials who -- without the Voting Rights Act -- would never have had the opportunity to serve their communities.

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"Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation" is the fifth installment of the successful 20-year-old spy franchise, based on the iconic 1960s TV series. The thriller offers an excellent plot and breathtaking action. Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, 53, is still at the helm as the executive producer and the charismatic lead spy Ethan Hawk. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more.

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International investigators have been dispatched to a tiny Indian Ocean island to determine if the plane wreckage that has drifted ashore is from the missing Malaysian Boeing 777 that disappeared last March during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. If so, the debris found on Reunion Island could help solve the aircraft's mysterious disappearance with 239 people on board. Zlatica Hoke reports.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry launches a five-nation tour Friday in a bid to strengthen economic and security ties and ease concerns about the Iran nuclear deal. In Southeast Asia, he will visit Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, but he will begin his trip in the Middle East. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports.

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Shooter's Grill, a restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, attracts visitors from all over the world as well as local patrons. The reason? Waitresses openly carry loaded firearms as they serve food, and customers are welcome to carry them, too. VOA's Enming Liu and Lin Yang paid a visit to Shooter's Grill, and heard different opinions about this unique establishment.

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Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

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Russia has vetoed a United Nations resolution seeking creation of an international criminal court to prosecute those responsible for shooting down the Malaysia Airlines plane over eastern Ukraine. The incident took place July 17 last year in the territory controlled by pro-Russian insurgents. All 298 people on board were killed. Zlatica Hoke reports.

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Ottawa, Illinois, is the hometown of W.D. Boyce, who founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. In Ottawa, where Scouting remains an important part of the legacy of the community, the end of the organization's ban on openly gay adult leaders was seen as inevitable. VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports.

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Artificial limbs, including the most complex of them – the human hand – are getting more life-like and useful due to constant advances in tiny hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motors called actuators. But now, as VOA’s George Putic reports, scientists in Germany say the future of the prosthetic hand may lie not in motors but in wires that can ‘remember’ their shape.

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Billions of dollars of so-called ‘dirty money’ from the proceeds of crime - especially from Russia - are being laundered through the London property market, according to anti-corruption activists. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the British capital, the government has pledged to crack down on the practice.

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Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction. The last such event was caused by an asteroid 66 million years ago. It killed off the dinosaurs and practically everything else. So scientists are in a race against time to classify the estimated 11 million species alive today. So far only 2 million are described by science, and researchers are worried many will disappear before they even have a name. VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports.

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A British pro-democracy group has accused Russia of abusing the global law enforcement agency Interpol by requesting the arrest and extradition of political opponents. A new report by the group notes such requests can mean the accused are unable to travel and are often unable to open bank accounts. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

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Scientists have long been trying to develop an effective protection and cure for malaria - one of the deadliest diseases that affects people in tropical areas, especially children. As the World Health Organization announces plans to begin clinical trials of a promising new vaccine, scientists in South Africa report that they too are at an important threshold. George Putic reports, they are testing a compound that could be a single-dose cure for malaria.

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The latest issue of 'New York' magazine features 35 women who say they were drugged and raped by film and television celebrity Bill Cosby. The women are aged from 44 to 80 and come from different walks of life and races. The magazine interviewed each of them separately, but Zlatica Hoke reports their stories are similar.

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Abandoned more than 50 years ago, the underground streetcar station in Washington D.C.’s historic DuPont Circle district is about to be reborn. The plan calls for turning the spacious underground platforms - once meant to be a transportation hub, - into a unique space for art exhibitions, presentations, concerts and even a film set. Roman Mamonov has more from beneath the streets of the U.S. capital. Joy Wagner narrates his report.